Verbinski Confirms Bioshock Will Only Be Made If It's PG-13

Way back in 2010, we had the misfortune to be bearers of bad news: Bioshock, if it’s ever made, will have to be watered down to fit a PG-13. If you missed it, read our full scoop right here, because this weekend former Bioshock director Gore Verbinski confirmed that depressing state of things for the would be video game to movie.

Not long ago Verbinski dropped the project, deciding he didn’t want to do it. Talking to Coming Soon Verbinski now admits that he quit because he couldn’t find any backers willing to let him make it with an R-rating. He explains, “I couldn't really get past anybody that would spend the money that it would take to do it and keep an R rating, Alternately, I wasn't really interested in pursuing a PG-13 version. Because the R rating is inherent.”

This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who’s been staying abreast of Hollywood’s current view of the R-rating. It’s rapidly becoming the new NC-17 with everything, whether it suits the kid-friendly rating or not, being modified to fit the MPAA’s demands. In an environment where there’s even talk of retroactively censoring Oscar nominated films to inflate box office totals, what chance does a massively expensive movie like Bioshock have?

Verbinski got what Bioshock was all about, and now he’s gone. If this movie ever does get made, it sounds like it’ll only happen when whoever makes it is willing to compromise the material.